I have searched and was not really able to find specific information to help.I have brought the coach to central Illinois, and it will be exposed this first winter. I am looking for any tips or advice to survive the first winter without ruining my new love.Some things I have thought about:1) air ride. When parked should I deflate the bags or leave it pumped up?2) water system. drain it, but do I still need to add the potable AF? Areas with trapped water? The AF says to refill holding tank with straight AF and keep it FULL. I have an 80 gallon holding tank. that would be 80 jugs of AF. Does that sound right?3) heaters. Should I keep the block heater plugged in all winter even if I don't plan on driving it? Bay heaters? Coach heater?4) covering it? It was always under a shelter before. Should I cover it with a tarp or something this first winter?5) Solar panels. Should I remove them for the winter?

I don't know what else to think of, but again I welcome any and all suggestions for my first winter and trying to come out in the spring ready to roll and not spend months with repairs.

Drain fresh water system, pay close attention to hot water tank and really close to the water pump, think hard about disconnecting the fittings, they are both good at harbouring water.

Use of potable anti-freeze depends on your confidence that all the water is out. Do not fill with AF! That is rubbish advice intended to sell product.

Some peeps empty water, then put a few gallons of AF, and pump it through the system.

On the engine front, are you able to start it once a month or so? Blah blah blah idle crapola... when it is engine storage start-up day, plug in block heater, wait an hour, start it, get a bit of temp rise on the gauge, 10 min, and shut it off until next month.

How will you care for your batteries? Shut 'em off between start days, some reputable brand of battery minder/charger/conditioner. Don't buy cheapo online crap for this function.

For the house system you need to either get ALL the water out or replace water with potable AF. Mine is designed with screw fitting and all lines run downhill so I am able to drain all the lines. Also drain the hot water heater and the water pump.IF you can't drain all lines tanks, etc. you may be able to blow the water out with a shraeder valve(like the valve on a tire).You can buy them at the rv store.Screw it into a water line(like your external water hookup) and use bus air to blow all the water out of the system.Don't forget about the p-traps.Mine have fittings at the bottom so I can drain them but if not pour some AF into them.

Another solution is to pump AF thru the water system.Should only take a couple of gallons.

Don't deflate air bags. They will be in better condition inflated like tires. Disconnect fresh water pump after run RV antifreeze through system. Get a good engine antifreeze tester and check freeze point. Should be good for 35 to 40 below up north. This also allows for innacurate tester reading. If you are not that well protected, you can add straight antifreeze to mix and drive for 25 to 30 miles to thoroughly circulate it. Make sure heater valves are open too. You can get the correct antifreeze at truck stops, but Store type antifreeze should be ok in DDA 2 cycle. It's been used for year without issues. If a newer engine 4 cycle models, then use the good stuff recommended for that engine. Check tire inflation, drain ALL air tanks, leaving drains open overnight. Only use block heater if you are planning to start it. It can go two or three months without starting. Pick one of the unusual warm days that seem to occur every winter. Using a battery tender is a good idea. Make sure water in battery cells is topped off and then fully charged. If you don't have a main disconnect switch, disconnect battery negativecable/s or both. I wouldn't worry about covering it this first winter, as they are designed to be out in the cold. Be sure to remove any freezeable items in cupboards. Run some RV antifreeze through toilet so water is flushed from water valve. Don't forget to add some antifreeze to sink traps.

Btw, and donít laugh, but it took me 2 hours to figure out where the antifreeze fill even is. That was the one fluid I wanted to check before making the 2200 mile journey home with it but didnít know where to look. I just kept an eye on the temp gauge.Now to figure out how to test the fluid.

Well, now, this is really interesting. You're asking about winterizing your '06 (which is a good thing!), but let me share that you're coach spent probably the first ten years of it's life in freezing weather!

Huh??

Yup - PD4106-2516 was delivered new in May of 1964 as fleet number 111 to Alaska Hyway Tours, HQ'd in Fairbanks, AK!

As a side note, over the last 15-20 years of me sharing historical delivery information with fellow busnuts, this is the first GMC coach I've ever traced the history on to an Alaskan delivery!

Armed with this info, will you now do us a favor? Will you update your profile info similar to mine below? First name, home city/state, coach model and powertrain configuration are the basics we'd like you to share. Besides being able to give you more accurate information, you might end up discovering that there's a fellow busnut nearby! To update, simply click on the "Profile" tab above, then, in the LH menu on the next screen, click on the "forum information" option and follow the prompts. TIA and welcome aboard!

FWIW & HTH. . .

PS: Did you find the radiator surge tank fill hiding behind the air intake grill on the LR corner of the coach yet?

Thank you for the tips.I did find the access for he surge tank, but honestly didn't know what all that was to until I traced the lines.I am not sure how to test the fluid though since there isn't direct access. I will mess with it and try to figure it out.

I will share my story of driving it home soon. It was interesting to say the least. I am mechanically inclined, with advanced ability in electronics. This came in handy from the beginning, but I have so much I need to learn about my coach. First and fore most, shifting.I'm lucky enough to have had a quality conversion already done, and I believe from some notes I found, this coach may have been featured in the Bus Conversions magazine back in the early 90's. idkWith that being said. Much of the conversion is late 80's technology so I will be looking at making updated changes to bring some of the systems more modern, while keeping the oh so awesome original look of the nostalgic coach. I hope my new busnut friends won't mind my up coming questions and shares.

Also, I am trying to update the info you requested to automatically attach to my post.

And the shower!! FWIW ,On my CC Prevost conversion ,they have lo point drains .The instructions tell me to Drain as much water out as possible then use compressed air to blow the lines out and to quote the manual,YOU ARE DONE .LOL